Every year the state of Alabama holds the single greatest rivalry game in college football, the Iron Bowl. I have lived in Alabama my entire life and my allegiance was predetermined before I was even born, I didn’t have a choice, it was wear crimson and white or you were shunned. People that moved to Alabama say the first thing they are asked is “Alabama or Auburn?” and you HAVE to pick there is no other option. Growing up watching this rivalry I have witnessed it all, whether it be Auburn winning 5 in a row and watching Tommy Tuberville do the infamous “ring finger” taunt to probably the greatest or the worst, depending on who you talk to, play of all time in the “Kick Six”. This will be the 82nd meeting between the teams but this one is the biggest one yet. In the 81 meetings, this is only the 2nd time that the winner will play in the SEC championship game and more importantly the winner can write their ticket to the College Football Playoffs. So, you may be asking yourself “what are some keys to look out for in this colossal game”? Well I have plenty.
Auburn comes in this game as one of the hottest teams in college football thanks to their running back Kerryon Johnson who is on a tear and should be considered for a seat in New York for the Heisman Trophy. Also, their defense has been resurrected from the dead thanks to the DC Kevin Steele. Auburn started the year as a very inconsistent team but showed lots of promise by only losing to Clemson by 8 on the road and getting up big on LSU then blowing a huge lead in the 2nd half. Since then they have proven to be one of the best teams in college football and they proved that by spanking #1 Georgia 40-17. After that game, the college football world was put on notice that Auburn is a team to be reckoned with. But before Auburn fans get too excited this is where it falls apart. We have seen in the past that Gus Malzahn has cracked under the pressure in these big games and with all the rumors of him going to Arkansas this could be a disaster for Auburn. I wonder where his mindset will be and if he is already in Arkansas mentally. Also, I think that Auburn plays their best game when they are the underdog and outside of Vegas they are the favorites to win this game.
Then here is Alabama sitting at #1 AGAIN. This year has been different for the Tide. They have had to rely on offense instead of a stout defense to win a few games for them. Alabama lost 6 defensive players to the draft and 4 to injuries. Most teams wouldn’t be able to have a competitive defense after that but Bama is still in the top categories in most defensive stats. You can thank Saban and his recruiting for that. So on paper you look at this game and think Auburn should win this game going away. Here is where it gets interesting. Let’s start with Saban, the greatest motivator in all of sports. Every game he looks for an angel to keep his players motivated and this game is filled with them. 1. With all of the injuries on defense everyone expects Auburn to run through Alabama like a hot knife through butter. 2. Most people are saying Bama hasn’t played anybody and that they haven’t been tested. 3. Saban has never beaten an Auburn team who was 9 wins or more. 4. The winner goes to the SEC Championship game. 5. Oh and also the college football playoffs. Bama could be getting back some key players like Christian Miller and Terrell Lewis for this game.
If that is true then Alabama injury problem is no more. Alabama has something that Auburn doesn’t have, Jalen Hurts, who has played on every stage you could possible play on in only 2 years at Bama and has only lost once and it was on the last second of the CFB Championship game against Clemson. Bama also has the greatest coach to ever coach college football. No one expects Alabama to win and that’s exactly what Saban wants. So, in saying all of that I think the pressure is going to be too big for Auburn and there is so much motivation for Bama that I think Bama wins big. I know my opinion is not a popular one and that people will think I am being a homer but I have watched enough college football to know that there is no such thing as a sure thing. One thing I have learned is you never bet against Saban and Alabama.
Prediction: Alabama 36. Auburn 16.